respectvsrespectsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“respect” and “respects” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,043
“respect” frequency rank
#30,777
“respects” frequency rank
31820
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature respect respects
Definition Sentiment de considération, d’égard envers quelqu’un ou quelque chose, manifesté par une attitude déférente envers celui-ci ou celle-ci. Pluriel de respect.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set respect and respects apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
respect
8 ch
respects

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

respect and respects form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “respect” sits inside “respects” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

respect is recorded at frequency rank #1,043, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁɛs.pɛ\. respects is at rank #30,777, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁɛs.pɛ\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 31820, this pair ranks #301,344 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

respect#1,043
respects#30,777

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "respect" and "respects" be used interchangeably?
No, "respect" and "respects" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering respect vs respects

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “respect” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list